Case of Tifa Revisited
by Inner Strife
Summary: A small expansion on Case of Tifa. My first fanfiction, setting up for my completely original work Case of Cloud. Let me know if I made any extreme faux pas!Thanks and enjoy!Is


This is my first attempt at any type of fanfiction! I plan on writing a story entitled On the Way to a Smile: Case of Cloud to follow up this story, and may go all the way through the main FFVII group of friends, but the Case of Cloud is the only one I have lined up at the moment. Let me know what you think! I'm still working and editing this piece, so if I need to add more, let me know!

**On the Way to a Smile:  
The Case of Tifa – Revisited**

Original Story by Kazushige Nojima  
Translated by Xcomp and Reeve

embellished by Inner Strife

**N.B.** In reading The Case of Tifa, I felt there were sections that were lacking in body in the second half. I attempted to flesh this out in my own words, trying to keep true to the tone of the story. I did not delete any of the original text save to correct some subject/verb agreement problems and change names to pronouns when the names were getting repetitive and interrupting the flow. I started the story after the start of Strife Delivery Service.

This is my first attempt at a fan fiction of any type. If you have any helpful suggestions, please let me know!

Tifa encouraged Cloud to run a delivery service seriously. They could just take requests at the bar. As for dealing with calls, Marlene or she could do it. Cloud hesitated, but after thinking about it for one night, he accepted the suggestion. He was just being hesitant again after all.

And so, that was the start of the Strife Delivery Service. Midgar was the centre of their business, but they also delivered all over the world. But only to the areas that Cloud could go by bike. Cloud smiled at how he was like a big advertisement. His job was also a big success. It was a time when sending things wasn't so easy for people who wanted to. Monsters were still around and there were roads that were constructed in areas that would break up due to the Lifestream bursting out. This job of travelling around the world wasn't something that anyone could do. It was a job he had been seeking. Tifa thought it was wonderful how Cloud, who wasn't very sociable, was doing a job that connected people through mail.

After Cloud started his delivery service, their "family" life changed greatly. It wasn't too good. Besides morning and late night, Cloud was usually not at home. And of course, there were fewer chances for the three of them to have conversations together. Tifa closed the bar for a day during the week, but it didn't stop Cloud from doing his job. It wasn't hard for Cloud to turn down requests. _I just wanted us to be able to take a day off together now and then but, I suppressed that selfishness in me._ During that time, it was Marlene who noticed a change in Cloud. She told Tifa how Cloud would sometimes look up at the sky and not listen to her. Cloud never really approached Marlene to talk in the first place. _But I was sure he never ignored her when she talked to him. I knew that Cloud had his own ways of getting along with Marlene. I thought about how there were people everywhere that weren't good with children but had their own ways of coping with them._

_I told her that Cloud was probably tired, but it bothered me. Marlene was a child who was sensitive about the changes in adults._

During their holiday, Tifa and Marlene were cleaning the room that was now Cloud's office. There were many slips that lay scattered about, unsorted. One of them caught Tifa's eye:

Client Name - Elmyra Gainsborough  
Delivery Item - Bouquet  
Destination - The Forgotten City

Tifa put the slip away with the others as if nothing happened, but she was trembling severely. Wrapping her arms around herself, she left Marlene in the Study as the girl kept on arranging and rearranging flowers for Cloud's desk, humming to herself as occupied children are wont to do. Tifa gripped her arms tightly, fingers clutching as in desperation to stop the unwilled tremors as she moved down the hallway towards the front of the bar. Her own torments and sins she could bear, but the mere thought of Cloud revisiting that moment, and revisiting it alone, caused her much anguish. She now realized that transporting mail around the world meant he was travelling around his past too. She knew that he was in great pain because he couldn't protect Aeris. He was on the verge of overcoming it, but now, going back to the place where he and Aeris got separated meant that his sorrow and regret was going to tear his heart again.

_Will he ever be able to let go? Will he ever be able to forgive himself? I pray Cloud will let go of this false sin._

She bowed her head as she sank into the overstuffed chair they kept by the window for the customers. The day belied the torment she now felt. The sun shown down on the Edge as pedestrians waked by the window, pedestrians working in the world to heal the Planet and themselves.

_Why can we not move on?_

Before she could delve deeper into the question, the sound of feet running down the hallway came from the upper room. Tifa was greeted with a weight landing in her lap and water splashing up onto her face. Marlene knelt on Tifa's lap, triumphantly looking over her discarded tin filled with wildflowers that Marlene had picked earlier that day.

"What do you have there?" Tifa moved over in the chair to allow Marlene to sit next to her. The girl looked up and handed Tifa the tin before she rocked back on her ankles to fall into the vacancy provided.

The chair had swallowed the girl up, muffling her reply. 'They're for Cloud,' she responded simply, her voice smiling.

Tifa turned the tin in her hand.

_To think, there is a child here, remembering him whom she lost._

It was night, and they had closed the bar. Cloud was drinking alcohol even though he rarely did. He had looked haggard when he came in from his delivery run that evening, his mako eyes turned inward and dull. Cloud barely recognized Marlene as she ran up to him, throwing her thin arms around his legs. He placed a hand on her head, nodded at her solemnly, before walking forward towards the stairwell. Only a day had past since Tifa found the delivery slip, 4 since he had left on his run. "I'll be in the office," were the only words he spoke to Tifa behind the bar before he padded softly up to the hallway and closed his door quietly, in such a way that said 'Leave me be'. Tifa cringed when she heard the bolt lock above her.

He didn't come out of the office until closing to help clean off the tables, and dry the glasses Tifa handed to him. She tried to start up casual conversation, but after a few attempts gave up, letting the silence fall down as a curtain. Especially after the commotion of the bar during the day, the silence was thick and oppressive and reeking with the heavy blame that Cloud had once again burdened himself to carry.

Handing Cloud the last glass, Tifa dried her hands before grabbing a broom and sweep the bar. She watched as Cloud dried off the outside and placed it on the counter, filling it with wine. She kept her back to him though she watched him anxiously, letting him go about his business as he sat on a stool at the end of the counter. Cloud sat there for a few minutes before he drained his glass. Tifa thought about it before going over and filling his glass.

"Shall I join you?" There was something she wanted to talk to him about.

"I want to drink alone."

Hearing that, Tifa lost control and said, "Then drink in your room." She stood there, neither revealing nor hiding the hurt she felt partially for herself, immensely for her friend.

_Families are meant to help one another._

Cloud did not meet her gaze as he left his seat at the bar, leaving his filled glass on the table. He held his shoulders and head as a child scolded and mulling over his actions, but said nothing. Walking towards the door, Tifa watched him as he exited and she heard the engine of his bike start up as he headed away from their home. Tifa folded her arms across her chest and proceeded to her own room after swallowing the poured glass in one gulp.

She heard Cloud enter later that night, his mattress giving way underneath his weight. Tifa may have been mistaken, but she heard a voice. 'I'm sorry.' Whether Cloud said it or it was her own, it was laden with guilt. Cloud turned in his bed, before the room became silent one again.

Barret called often. Most of the time, he hardly talked about himself and asked more about how Marlene was doing. Every time, he would talk to Marlene at the end. As Marlene wondered if Tifa was listening or not, she told Barret in a sad voice, "Cloud and Tifa aren't getting along very well."

_No matter what feelings Cloud and I have between us, we can't drag Marlene into it_, Tifa thought to herself.

Tifa forced herself to talk to Cloud. When Marlene was near, she would pick something positive, something that wouldn't turn the conversation into a serious matter. Cloud was bewildered at the way Tifa changed, but guessing at what she was doing, he went along with the mood and talked to her. They got Marlene to join in with the conversations. _I thought it went pretty well, but I couldn't talk about what I really wanted to talk about. I didn't know what to say._

One morning, Tifa shared a story she heard from a customer that seemed funny.

"That's really something that can't be done," Cloud thought aloud.

"It can't be done!" Marlene shouted.

All the adults were surprised and looked at Marlene.

"You've told us that story before and Cloud just gives the same answer."

_It didn't go well. But we were together. It was because we were family. We lived in the same house and we were living by uniting our strength. Maybe there wasn't much conversation or many smiles, but we were family,_ Tifa thought to herself. No, it was what she got herself into thinking.

After making certain that Cloud was asleep, she spoke to him.

"We'll be all right, won't we?" Tifa sat on the edge of her bed looking towards where Cloud slept, the room dark.

Of course, there was no answer. _I only heard the sound of him sleeping. I wondered if the fact that he was sleeping here meant that he was part of the family._

"Do you love me?" She couldn't help but look down at her hands, asking the question almost to herself.

The weight on the mattress shifted as Cloud woke up, a dubious look on his face.

"Hey, Cloud. Do you love Marlene?" Tifa asked as she heard Cloud's awakening, catching his expression in the corner of her eye as she continued to peer down into the palms of her hands.

He looked over towards Tifa, his expression softening. Looking back at the ceiling, he laid his weight heavy on the pillow, thinking. "Yeah. But sometimes I don't know how to approach her."

"Even though we've been together for some time?" She watched Cloud as he responded.

"Maybe that just isn't enough."

"Even we aren't enough for you?" She didn't hide how she felt from that response, the weight of her sorrow increasing.

Cloud didn't answer, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

"Sorry for asking some strange things."

"Don't apologize. It's my problem." His voice was weighted down.

_It's my problem as well, _Tifa thought. _It has become the problem for this family, even if he is distancing himself from us. Marlene and I still have to worry for him._

Cloud closed his eyes and slowly turned onto his side, facing away.

"Let's work hard together."

Cloud didn't answer.

_He's giving up._

Tifa felt her face grow warm as tears threatened. She buried her hands into her hair as she leaned on her elbows, listening to the silence of the air, the sound of her anxious heart. After a few moments, she stood up and lay down in the bed beside Cloud, wrapping an arm around him as she pulled herself closer. Her hands trembled. She buried her head softly in his shoulder, holding him close as if pleading for him not to give up, holding him close as a child seeking solace.

Not long after that, Cloud brought Denzel with him. When he brought him into the bar, he was already unconscious. Cloud carried him upstairs and lay him down on his bed. It was Geostigma. Cloud said the symptoms looked like they just started not long ago. Tifa went and fetched a rag and water from the water closet, sitting down on the bed next to the unconscious boy, as Cloud stood on the other side, still armoured and laden with his gear for his runs which was habitually unpacked and left in the closet by the front door upon entering the bar. As Tifa nursed Denzel, she thought of how there were many children who were infected with the same illness. There were also a lot of facilities set up for children without parents. Despite that, why did Cloud bring Denzel here? Just when Tifa was going to ask him, Cloud muttered something.

"This kid came to my place." He continued to watch the boy's face, as if afraid to look away.

"What do you mean?"

Cloud hung his head.

"I mean..."

The room fell silent.

After Denzel recovered, she listened to his story about everything that happened to him before he arrived here. Then she thought to herself that he was supposed to come here. _He was one of the victims when Sector Seven was destroyed. The reason why Sector Seven was destroyed was because of us. That's why I had to take responsibility and raise him. He didn't go to Cloud's place. He met Cloud so that he could come to my place._

Tifa discussed with Cloud and Marlene about how she wanted to welcome Denzel into their family. Cloud nodded silently, but Marlene was full of joy.

At first, Denzel was persistent in helping them as thanks for taking care of him, but while helping with Cloud's job and in the shop, he opened up his heart.

It was night and the bar was closed. While cleaning up in the galley, Tifa looked up towards the centre table. There sat the manager of Strife Delivery Service—Cloud—and his two assistants, Marlene and Denzel. Denzel suffered from Geostigma, but on the days when he didn't have a fever or any pain, he would hang around with Cloud. Cloud spent half of each day outside. So once he was home, it was Denzel's precious time to spend with his hero. Yes, Cloud was a hero to Denzel. Saving Denzel while he was fighting with death as the symptoms of Geostigma erupted again, riding around on a bike... everything that Denzel was yearning for. Denzel wanted to ask everything about Cloud. He would ask Tifa questions about Cloud until he returned home. Once, Tifa half jokingly said to Denzel that she was the one cooking their meals every day. Denzel also said in a grown up manner that he cleaned the house and the bar every day too.

It was true, and he done a very thorough job of cleaning. When she asked him if it was his passed away mother who taught him how to clean, he answered no. The following day, Tifa asked Cloud who Denzel's cleaning teacher was. He had told Cloud about it. Tifa was a little hurt.

She was troubled at why Denzel told Cloud and didn't tell her. One day, she tried asking a customer that was about the same age as Denzel about it. His answer was that boys were just like that. So there really weren't any problems. They were just a normal family.

The answer didn't make her understand them but, the words "normal family" relieved Tifa.

After the bar was closed, the usual three people sat around the table. It wouldn't be odd if you said it was a young father with his two children. _If I felt like it, I could go over to that table and be welcomed with smiles._

Cloud had a map spread out on the table. He was making sure of the routes that he was going to take to do deliveries the next day. Denzel and Marlene were sorting out the slips. When there were any words that Marlene couldn't read, she asked Denzel. Denzel would then teach Marlene like an older brother. When there were words that even Denzel couldn't read, he would ask Cloud. Cloud had the habit of handing them a pen after telling them how to read them. He said that if they couldn't write it, then they wouldn't be able to remember it. Looking at the names of places on the slips, the children asked Cloud what they were like. Cloud's descriptions were simple. There are lots of people. There are very little people. There are lots of monsters so it's dangerous. Taking the north route is safer. They were descriptions that would make you ask, "Is that all?" but the children seemed satisfied. Soon, Tifa wanted to talk too. When she added in more detail, Denzel would ask Cloud if it was true. It annoyed Tifa a little, but she also thought it was all right. That's probably what normal families were like.

Tifa wondered if they became a real family after Denzel appeared. Cloud was clearly taking fewer jobs. At night, he would always make sure he had time to spend with the children. The silly little conversations he had with Tifa were also back.

"So the problem was resolved?"

"Which problem?"

"Your problem."

"Oh..."

Cloud thought about it.

"It's OK if you don't want to tell me."

"I can't really explain it well..." Cloud warned before starting to talk. "The problem isn't resolved. Well, I never tried resolving it for a long time, I think. You can't retrieve lost lives."

Tifa nodded silently.

"But maybe we can save the lives who are in a crisis just now. Maybe even I can do it."

"You mean Denzel?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, do you remember what you said when you brought Denzel here?"

"What did I say?"

"You said Denzel came to your place."

"Well..." Cloud looked like a kid that about to be scolded as usual.

"Tell me. I'll decide whether I'm angry or not after I listen."

Cloud nodded and continued.

"Denzel had collapsed in front of the church where Aeris used to be. That's why I thought Aeris lead him to 'my place'."

Saying all that in one breath, Cloud looked away.

"I went to the church."

"I wasn't planning to hide there."

"You were hiding."

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't say you couldn't go. But next time, go together with me."

Cloud was dubious as he looked at Tifa.

"Aeris didn't bring Denzel to you."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

"Aeris brought that child to us, didn't she?"

Cloud gazed at Tifa and finally smiled. It had the kindness that made her think everything was fine.

Days after having that conversation, Cloud left. Tifa wondered if that smile he showed her was an illusion. After kissing the sleeping children on the face, she went into Cloud's office. She brushed away the dust on the family photo they took, then tried calling him. After several rings, the messaging service took over.


End file.
